Google Cardboard just got a major audio feature

Easy 3D sound for VR

Google has added spatial audio support for its Cardboard SDK, letting developers more easily create 3D sound for their VR experiences.

It will be available for both Unity and Android developers, and means devs will no longer have to play sounds on separate left or right speakers to create immersive audio.

Instead, spatial sound combines the position of the viewer's head with where the sounds should be coming from, including delays, which is closer to how we naturally hear, Google explained in a blog post.

Easier on smartphones

Google has also built in support for spatial audio so that it will have minimal impact on smartphones, which is vital if the company wants to make VR and Cardboard widely accessible.

The company explains that devs will be able to control which sounds get priority, so as to minimize processing power.

The new SDK update comes just a day after reports began to emerge that Google was forming a dedicated VR division, which was pretty much confirmed when former VP for Product Management Clay Bavor changed his title on Twitter to "VP, Virtual Reality at Google."